Oh Wygod!

Martin Wygod, who with his wife, Pam, owns Sweet Catomine, told reporters on a Tuesday teleconference that some of the horses entered in the Santa Anita Derby surprised him.

"It tells you that they don't have that much respect for Sweet Catomine or they wouldn't be in there," Wygod said. "The large field and her running style – it does make it more difficult." [dallasnews.com] via Albany Law School

Well, let’s see. First of all, she’s a filly, and secondly, she’s a filly who hasn’t been particularly dominant against her own kind this year, regardless of how she may have galloped out after the wire in the SA Oaks. I mean, I’ve read a couple of guys practically have her inducted into the Hall of Fame off that after-race gallop. (Similarly, all seems to have been forgiven for Wilko because he worked 6f in 1:10 3/5). The SA Derby is a major Derby prep that some of these trainers have been pointing to all year, so…why would anyone possibly skip this race because she’s entered? She hasn’t done nearly enough as a 3 yo to have earned scaring away enough competition Saturday to help her avoid a bigger field that might make it more difficult to close (and the experience against a larger field should only help her down the line). If the filly does win on Saturday, will Wygod be similarly insulted if the Derby doesn’t become a match race between she and Pavo?

- High Limit, who may have come down a peg or two with the poor performance of Louisiana Derby runner-up Vicarage at Gulfstream, breezed six furlongs in 1:12.60 at Churchill Downs.

"I just wanted to get a good work into him," said High Limit’s trainer, Bobby Frankel. "He’s only run once in five months. I worked him before he got here and he went real easy. But now he’s got a good work and now it’s just a little maintenance work after this."[Thoroughbred Times]

Vicarage will head for the Derby Trial, freeing up a Derby slot on the top 20 list of graded earnings.